Middle East peace process – Third session: Euro-Mediterranean Parliamentary Assembly – RecommendationNon-UN document

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Middle East peace process

14. Takes note of the conclusions of the 8th Euro-Mediterranean Conference of Ministers of Foreign Affairs held on 27 and 28 November 2006 in Tampere, particularly as regards political and security dialogue, and reiterates that a solution to the Middle East conflict is only possible through the negotiation of a firm and final peace agreement as set out in the Roadmap and the resolutions of the United Nations, which is to say one without prior conditions and based on the peaceful coexistence of two democratic, sovereign and viable states within secure and recognised international borders;

15. Takes the view that settlement of the Middle East conflict resulting in the peaceful coexistence of the two states would considerably strengthen regional and international security alongside other peace-keeping initiatives in the area;

16. Calls on the Council to make every effort to convene an international peace conference – along the lines of the 1991 Madrid Conference – in order to find a comprehensive, lasting and viable solution based on the relevant UN Security Council resolutions and the relevant United Nations reports, and in particular the one by the Special Rapporteur in the Occupied Territories, that involves all the stakeholders in the region;

17. Considers the participation of the League of Arab States to be essential in this context, and the 2002 Beirut Initiative to be an important contribution to the negotiations that should be duly taken into account;

18. Invites the Member States and Mediterranean partners to reopen the signing of the Charter for Peace and Stability in the Mediterranean;

19. Welcomes the fact that the Quartet met on 21 February 2007 and hopes that its declaration will be followed up by practical measures;

20. Condemns and expresses its utmost indignation at the arrest of the President of the Palestinian Legislative Council, Mr Aziz Dweik, of members of the Palestinian Government and of members of the Palestinian Legislative Council, and demands their immediate release;

21. Condemns the abduction of all Israeli soldiers and demands their immediate release as well as the release of all Palestinians imprisoned for political reasons, beginning with women and minors;

22. Welcomes the formation of a Palestinian national unity government, and is confident that it will commit itself to a programme that reflects the principles set out by the Quartet; hopes that this agreement will bring an end, once and for all, to armed confrontation, and calls on the two sides to do their utmost to contain violence and to maintain and expand the ceasefire; Calls upon Israel, in accordance with the decision of the International Court of Justice, to stop building the wall of separation and remove the existing sections built on Palestinian occupied territory;

23. Takes the view that the situation of the Palestinian populace dictates that the embargo be lifted and that supplies of essential humanitarian aid continue to be guaranteed, in cooperation with the international community, and that it is also important to strengthen the Palestinian institutions; welcomes the extension of the temporary international mechanism (TIM), and despite the difficulties demands that it be reinforced in resources and its term of application extended for the requisite period; notes that Israel has transferred part of the Palestinian tax and customs revenues it was withholding and calls on the Israeli Government urgently to pay the balance of those amounts, via the Temporary International Mechanism if appropriate;

24. Calls on Israel to lift the embargo of the Gaza Strip, to facilitate trade between the Palestinian territories, Israel and the rest of the world, to allow the economic development of the Palestinian Territories for the benefit of both Palestinians and Israelis, and to permit the movement of people at Rafah, in compliance with the Agreement on Movement and Access and the EU Border Assistance Mission at the Rafah crossing point, as well as at Karni and other border crossings in the Gaza Strip;

25. Calls for an end to the Israeli attacks and to the firing of rockets against towns and villages in Israel from within the Gaza Strip;

26. Endorses the legality of the Lebanese state institutions and demands that all parties reject the use of force; expresses the wish that the Lebanese Parliament be able to reconvene in order to achieve an institutional agreement in the interest of the nation; welcomes the outcome of the Conference on the reconstruction of Lebanon held on 25 January 2007 and supports all the efforts to rebuild the country, including the mediation initiatives of the League of Arab States while expressing its continuing concern at the internal political situation; calls on all parties to honour all the United Nations resolutions, in particular Resolution 1701;

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